Process of treating aliphatic hydrocarbons



"May 18 '19s 7..

J. R. ROSE 'PRUGESS 20F TREAT ING ALIRHATIC HYDROCARBONS Fil-e'd 'Nov.

INVENTOI; JP

WWW

A ORNEY.

Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE",

r nocsss or ififim amnnrrc v I fourths to Michael L. Benedum and Joseph 0.

Trees, both of Pittsburgh, Pa;

Application November 19, 1936, Serial No. 111,872

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a process'of treating fluids consisting principally of. aliphatic hydrocarbons for the production of valuable products therefrom. A field wherein my process is of particular importance is the production of ben- 4 zene from hydrocarbon fluids, especially hydrocarbon fluids including natural gas or methane.

In my application Serial No. 55,387, filed Decem greatly increase the amount of benzene recovered in a given time. i

I realize the foregoing object in and through the employment of the apparatus shown in the drawing forming a part hereof, wherein Fig. 1 represents in vertical section a furnace equipped for the dissociation of a hydrocarbon fluid, such as methane or natural gas, and, on a reduced scale, a diagrammatic illustration of an apparatus connected with said furnace for the separation of carbon and for the separation and absorption of a heavy hydrocarbon, such as benzene,

whereby it may be recovered'as a liquid; and

Fig. 2 represents a detail in "section of a modification of the furnace proper shown in Fig. 1.

Describing by reference characters the various parts illustrated in Fig. 1, i represents the cy-' lindrical wallof a furnace or a generator, said wall being of refractory material capable of withstanding the temperature due' to the employment of an electric arc.- 2 denotes the bottom wall of the furnace and 3 the top wall of the same, the walls 2 and 3 being also made of such refractory material and all of the walls being inclosed by a shell, preferably of sheet steel 4 denotes the side wall of said shell and .5 the top, said top being shown as secured to the wall 4 as by, means of an angle iron 6 carried by the top of said walland bolts Iv unitingwthetop 5 to the horizontal .fiangeof the angle iron. The top .5 is provided with a central openingB (preferably circular) and Within the walls i, 2 and 3-is a central chamber it, ill, said chamber being preferably cylindrical and having its upper wall slightly arched as shown at H.

i2 denotes a pipe for delivering into the cham- 5 her ill a hydrocarbon fluid, preferably methane or natural gas, said pipe being provided with a valve I 3 by means of which the supply of such fluid may be varied as desirable. The pipe 12 communicates in the chamber Ill with the bottom 10 of a coil it having its exterior preferably partially embedded in a lining ill for said chamber. From the upper end of the coil the pipe l5 extends through the top wall of the furnace and through an insulating sleeve it in the top' of a 15 carbon electrode i'l having a central-bore l8 therethrough for the reception of the preheated gas delivered through the coil and pipe. This electrode is mounted within an insulating bushing i9, inserted in the openings 8 and 9; and the electrode is provided with a conductor 20 for electric current. t

, Extending downwardly from the chamber 10 and constituting an extension thereof is the chamber Iii in which is located a discontinuous 25 mass of material capable of conducting electricity, but, owing to the discontinuity of the mass, with n the production of a myriad of short arcs between the pieces or blocks of the material. The mass of material is shown herein as made up of bricks 3 2|, preferably of carbon and arranged in checker work formation and providing tortuous passageways for the fluid in its course therethrough and to the outlet connection at the bottom of the chamber. 24 denotes a solid carbon electrode 35 which projects through the bottom of the furnace as far as the bottom of the chamber 2|, where it contacts with the bottom course of bricks 22.

- This electrode is mounted in an insulating bushing 25 interposed between the same and open- 40 ings provided in the-bottom 5 of the shell and the bottom of the wall 2 of the furnace and isprovided with a conductor 26 for electric current.

The furnace is shown as supported by a plurality of legs 27. v

28 denotes a pipe having a three-way valve 28 through which another fluid (preferably hydrogen or a gas consisting essentially of hydrogen) may be introduced into the chamber i0 and may be delivered through the-checker-work together with the fluid delivered through the electrode ii. The hydrocarbon fluid, which is preferably methane or natural gas, and the hydrogen (or a. gas consisting essentially of hydrogen) are passed 5 through the checker-work to the gas outlet connection 23.

In operation, the checker-work is first heated by the current supplied therethrough, to a temdrocarbon fluid (preferably natural gas or methane) is then delivered to the heated checkerwork and, in its passage therethrough, it is subjected to the action of the myriad of electric arcs l referred to hereinbefore whereby, if the fluid emacetylene, in accordance with the reaction:-

the checker-work and themyriad of arcs, the acetylene will be progressively polymerized into benzenev in accordance" with the reaction:- 3(C2Ha) =C6He; and this polymerization will be completed by the catalyst which will be referred to hereinafter. Notwithstanding the fact that this reaction indicates the liberation of an excess of hydrogen, it has been found that additional hydrogen is necessary in order to insure the production of benzene and also to'prevent the destruction of the carbon resistor. By adding byof hydrogen, to the hydrocarbon fluid, hydrozene as well as to prevent or limit the liberation of carbon in excess of that requlred'to produce the benzene. a

From the outlet connectionzt, the pipe 23 ing the fluid in the furnace. to the action of the electric resistor provided by the checker-work bricks, to a separator 29, which may be of any commercial form adapted to separate from the ent therein, the separator having an oil- 40 take 29 through which such carbon may be rethe gaseous products into separating and absorbing apparatus 3|, 3|, which may be of any standard recognized type capable of separating 45 and condensing the benzene, or other hydrocarbon which is liquid at normal temperatures. The liquid product thus separated may be removed through the pipe 32 and the valve 32.

Assuming that the gases treated have been the separation of, the benzene will consist essentially of hydrogen and may be delivered through a pipe 33 toa three-way valve 83, whence as much of it as may be desirable may 55 be conducted to storage or to a point of use through pipe 34. When it is desired to use this same as is necessary for this purpose will be F the three-way valve 28". 36 denotes a high-frequency apparatus provided with the conductors 38.'thesaid apparatus being applied to the pipe l2 and being capable B5 ofsubjecting the gas passing through the pipe l2 to the disruptive action of the high frequency current. The high-frequency apparatus may be one of the type manufactured by the General Electric Company and the Westinghouse Electric 8: Mfg. Company, comprising a chamber through which the gas is conveyed, said chamber containing non-sparking high-frequency perature of say approximately 2000 F. The hy-' ployed is methane, it will be converted first intof 2(CH4) =CzHi-i-6H. However, in passing through dro'gen', or a gas containing a large proportion gen is always available in 'suflicient quantity and proportion to insure the production of the benleads the aeriform products, evolved by subjectgaseous products any carbon that may be presmoved. From the separator, the pipe conducts 50 methane and hydrogen, the gas remaining after .gas as the source of hydrogen, as much of the conducted from the valve 33 through pipe 35 to aosaoas coils, whereby an initial dissociation of the gas' is instituted, which dissociation is completed bysubjecting the gas to the electrically heated checker-work within the furnace and to the catalyst beyond the checker-work. Frequencies of 12,000,000 cycles per second are conventional and may be employed herein.

In Fig.2, I have shown a modification of the furnace shown in Fig. 1 only in regard to the resistor which is employed, the resistor in this case consisting of fragments 39 of resistant material,

preferably carbon. A portion of the electrode i7 is shown as contacting with the top of this mass and a portion of the pipe i2 and coil it are shown. T e. electrode 26 in this case will contact with the central portion of the bottom of the mass of resistant material, being located in the same position and arranged .in, the same manner as shown in Fig. 1.

The separating and absorbing apparatus 3!, 3|, as stated hereinbefore, maybe of any standard type, one such apparatus being thatknown to the trade as Lectrodryer employing therein activated alumina.

In both forms of my apparatus, one or more trays '40 containing a catalyst 6| will be placed in the path of the gases resulting from the dissocia-' tion and immediately adjacent to the bottom of the resistor. The catalyst may be platinum black,

finely divided nickel, or iron ore, and will increase the yield of benzene; The action of the catalyst has been explained herelnbefore as completing polymerization of the acetylene which is insti*-.

tuted at the top of the checker-work and which has been proceeding progressively from the top of the checker-work to the bottom thereof, where the catalyst is located."

By the use of the discontinuous resistance illustrated and described herein, I am enabled to obtain a greatly increased quantity production of benzene over that which is obtainable by the process shown, described and claimed in my copending application No. 55,387 referred to hereinbefore. This increase is due, not only to the ability to subject the hydrocarbon fluid to be treated to a myriad of small arcs, but also to the action of the heated body of the resistor in facilitating the decomposition of the said fluid.

This application is a continuation in part of my aggication Serial No. 55,391, filed December 20,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The process of producingbenzene which com.-

prises passing a gas consisting principally of all-' phatic hydrocarbons continuously through azone comprising a multiplicity of electric arcs and imj mediately thereafter into contact with a solid polymerization catalyst. f

from the gaseous mixture thus produced; separating and condensing the benzene; andpassing the hydrogen obtained from such separation and condensation through the said. zone in subsequent cycles .of operation.

- JAMES R. ROSE. 

